well i think we should distinguish here between the contamination that the nuclear workers inside the plant are receiving, and that s very high indeed. probably they re going to get sick rapidly in the next week or two. and unfortunately there s a possibility of fatalities there. talking about the overall population, indeed, they re not going to be any early radiation conquen con consequences. but long-term radiation cancer is the only major concern here. even there, we are talking about still very small increases in cancer risk. natural cancer risks are very high, 40% of us, 4 out of 10 of us, are going to get cancer anyway. what we re talking about is a very small increase, even in a worst possible scenario. dr. brenner, thank you for joiningus. next, forces loyal to gadhafi hand rebels a serious blow.
the medical journal the lancet now suggests aspirin could help reduce cancer risks. it s already been said to help heart health and soothe general aches and pains. now some doctors are urging caution. but the study does raise a big question. what is it about aspirin that has so many healing and hailing it as a modern-day miracle drug? well, joining me to talk about the pros and cons of this little white pill is dr. neil maripol. he s the hematology and oncology division chief at u.h. case medical center. doctor, thanks for being with us. great to be here. thank you. i know you are one of those voices urging caution here in the wake of this study. so what are some of the red flags for you? well, the biggest point of caution is the way this study was conducted that you re referring to in the journal lancet is that it was a so-called secondary analysis, or a pooled analysis where they combine the results from a bunch of other studies that were done for other reasons.
dr. siegel, let s get to the physical implications. we were discussing in the break that the exxon valdez, the physical implications of disease never studied. what are your fears about this spill? well, gretchen, actually, dr. keith said something that s relevant here which is to the physical side, we have a much more dense population here of people and the spill is so enormous compared to exxon valdez. what you actually see short term is you see problems with breathing, skin problems, nausea, headache. now, with exxon valdez, 11,000 workers sought medical treatment and the ones that were exposed to the disbersans that have chemicals can really give you severe kidney and liver trouble, those people have still been complaining this long later. more than a decade later. i m concerned about the long-term risks of cancer here which has not been studied in exxon valdez. you see benzine and heavy metals. they pick up in the fish. people are going to be eating fish from this area for gene
accidents, coastguard estimates 80 plus percent really goes back to human factors. they ll look at the mechanical side very carefully and hopefully, they ll uncover something. you ve got to look at the whole picture. gregg: they have black boxes aboard planes. some vessels on the water do carry video cams. do we need more of those? you put out the right question. there is no reason in the world why we can t have cameras in the pilot houses of ferries all across the country. then there really is going to be very little debate about exactly what was happening and exactly who was doing what. that is a great point. gregg: peter goms, thanks for being with us. there is a new report out there about hidden cancer risks. some doctors are even stunned
acquaint them with what s going on. we have no reason to believe that that might happen right now but because the concern are raised we re certainly looking into it. admiral thad allen we certainly appreciate your time right now and especially given how busy you are. thank you, sir, for joining us. my pleasure, campbell, thank you. still ahead, an alarming new study shows cancer risks are everywhere. in your food, clothing, and even the air you breathe. what you can do to protect yourself and your children. dr. sanjay gupta will be here next. chevy malibu stands behind theirs for up to 100,000 miles. which makes it pretty clear whose standing out front. a consumers digest best buy two years running. chevy malibu. compare it to anyone and may the best car win. during the spring event, qualified lessees, now get a 27-month, low mileage lease on this malibu ls for around $199 a month. call for details. see your local chevy dealer.